5 signs you’re a free spirit (and 6 steps to living like one)

Do you feel like everyone around you knows exactly where they are going and how they are going to get there and you are just taking it day by day?

Don’t beat yourself up over living a free spirit lifestyle.

There’s nothing wrong with going with the flow and figuring it out as the days unfold.

We don’t need to know everything that will happen to us and people with free spirits embrace the beauty of chaos in a way that makes their lives more enjoyable and easy to manage than the general population who fret and fear for everything.

Wondering if you are a free spirit at heart? Here’s how you can tell for sure.

1) Independence is Your Middle Name

When it comes to being a free spirit, a surefire way to tell if you’ve got one or not is to look at how indpenedent you are.

If you are someone who wants to be on their own, do their own thing, and make their own way, you are likley a free spirit.

But that’s not where it ends:

it’s likely that you’ve also been single for a long period of time, or have yet to find someone who is deserving of your time and energy.

Independence goes beyond being able to buy your own things and pay your own bills, it’s a sense of purpose and a lifestyle that not many people truly get to own.

We are so dependent on other people and each other to help us get through life that when someone comes along that lives a truly independent lifestyle, we often don’t even know what to say to them because their views are so different from our own.

Does that sound like you? You might be a free spirit in the world if that’s the case.

2) You Get Up and Go

One of the hallmarks of a free spirit is not only the desire to travel but in the travling itself. You get up and go of your own free will and make no apologies for it.

You’ve often been found in strange places all over the world and take a little bit of each place home with you.

Whether you are making your way on a road trip across the country or you are flying to far off places, you prefer to go alone and get more out of your travel when you have the freedom to come and go as you please.

Others may want to join you because your life looks fabulous, but it looks that way because you get to do what you want and have no one to answer to.

Wouldn’t we all like to live our own lives that way?

3) You Know What you Like

Being a free spirit means you follow you heart in whatever direction it takes you.

When it comes to your free time, you enjoy your own hobbies and pursue your own interests.

You weren’t one to play team sports as a kid and singing in the choir was not for you, but if there was a solo sport avaialble, you were the first to sign up.

Running? High jump? Dance competitions?

Anything to showcase your talents on their own is what you like to be doing.

You like having people pay attention to what you are doing but you don’t need them to.

You pursue your own hobbies and interests without notice of other people. You spend your time how you want to spend it.

4) You Like Yourself

So many people don’t like themselves. Isn’t that a strange concept to imagine?

It’s true though.

How many people look in the mirror in the morning and hate what they see? Not you, though, you don’t hate yourself.

In fact, you prefer your own company to the company of others on numerous occasions.

You are happy to be left alone to your own devices and with your own thoughts.

You are your own best friend. After all and don’t need anyone to validate your life.

You create your own fun and find solace in your quiet times alone.

You might even get exhausted being around others as many independent people are also introverts who get their energy from within.

5) You Trust Yourself

People live in fear. We spend our whole lives worrying about getting it wrong and so we never truly live.

But people who have a free spirit live life to the fullest and have no regrets about trying.

A life well lived is a life with mistakes, but never regrets.

If you find yourself going all in on yourself and betting that things will work out, despite not knowing how, then you are definitely a free spirit.

You live without consequence, but let’s face it, what’s the worst that could happen?

Most people never even take the chance of finding out because they are too busy making things up in their mind about all the horrible things that are going to go wrong.

So if you feel like you are catching a lot of flack for your free spirit lifestyle, remember that you are the one who is actually living, not the person who is criticizing you for how you choose to spend your time on earth.

Want to be a free spirit? Here are 6 steps

If you are wishing you had more time in your day or had more control over how you spend that time, you are not alone.

Millions of people long for the kind of life where they can live as a free spirit.

They wish they could get up at their leisure, sip coffee, read books, take walks, travel, visit friends, and work on passion projects.

And they could if they were willing to take the leap of faith that is required to go against what most people are doing.

Most people are killing themselves working more than 50 or 60 hours a week to save money for when they retire, but life is a lot different when you are older.

You imagine a leisurely beach lifestyle, but the reality is that you can have that lifestyle right now. No joke.

Here’s how you can create the life you want and be a free spirit:

1) Make the Decision

Nothing happens without sacrifice and you have to be willing to sacrifice your old life for your new life.

You have to make the decision that you are no longer willing to live a dusty, boring, clock-in-clock-out life and you have to decide to make a change.

This is the part where most people stop.

Most people can’t even make the decision to change and be a free spirit.

We want to. We long to live a new life. Some of us are ever at the end of our ropes but we have no idea how to move in a new direction.

We are stuck with fear and that fear captures our imagination and crushes it so that we stay exactly the same as we are right now. Decide. And then the rest is gravy.

2) You Don’t Have to Wait to Have it All to be a Free Spirit

A big mistake people make is in thinking that having freedom means they can have an expensive car, the nice house, and the ability to come and go as they please.

That works great for independently wealthy people and celebrities, but for the average Joe who just wants to live life on his own terms, having expensive things and being a free spirit doesn’t usually go hand in hand.

That means that you have to be willing to go without the really nice things, the expensive watch, and the bigger-than-necessary house.

Because what we are talking about here is real freedom, and real freedom is not weighed down by stuff.

3) Allocated time for the Things You Enjoy

While it might be tempting to try to be everything and do everything, being a free spirit is about doing the things you truly enjoy.

It’s not about mastering everything or even some things, it’s about spending time getting better at the things you are already good at and enjoying that time you take to learn and grow in your own way.

You don’t have to do a million things a day. Choose a few things you really like and build your life around them.

When you do that, you open up so much more time and energy in your life and you don’t get bogged down by things that aren’t worthy of your time.

4) Cut Your Losses

One of the hardest parts about going after your own freedom is the blowback you are going to get from family and friends who will show concern over your new choices.

Don’t worry about them.

They are going to have an opinion about your life no matter what you decide to do, so you might as well do something you enjoy.

Ignore the snide remarks about your choices and be as bold as you want to be to live a freedom-style life that is all your own.

5) Save Money

Of course, money is a major factor in being able to come and go as you please.

When you have a steady income, it can be hard to imagine life without it, but if you plan it right, you can do whatever you want.

Some people work when they have to, never worrying about climbing the corporate ladder. Some people travel and write, some people pick up odd jobs to put a little money in their pocket.

Stability and security are not worries for people dedicated to living a free life.

The basics will do just fine.

If this scares you, don’t worry, the reward of being able to live life on your own terms is far greater than a steady paycheck, we can assure you.

6) Figure Out What You Need

As you move toward living a freer lifestyle, think about what you can live without and get rid of it. Sell it and bank the money.

Ask yourself how much of what you own do you really use on a regular basis? Do you really need it?

If you had to choose between keeping your terrible job or that lamp your mother gave you that you never really liked but always felt obligated to keep, which would you choose?

Now is the time to change. Say goodbye to the lamp and say hello to your new lifestyle of freedom and choice. It can be yours.

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In 2018, the third year of Hack Spirit, I poured thousands of hours and considerable resources into creating these articles. It's a labor of love and remains free thanks to your patronage. If you found any value in these articles, please consider supporting what I do with a donation. Your support is what helps me to continue creating more Hack Spirit articles. To make a donation, select the amount and click the "donate" button below.

I’m Lachlan Brown, the founder and editor of Hack Spirit. I love writing practical articles that help others live a more mindful and better life. I have a graduate degree in Psychology and I’ve spent the last 6 years reading and studying all I can about human psychology and practical ways to hack our mindsets. If you to want to get in touch with me, hit me up on Twitter or Facebook.